Three Cowboys Picked All-MW, Wingard Tabbed Defensive POY

For the second straight year, Wyoming senior safety Andrew Wingard has been chosen as the Mountain West Conference Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.

Wingard is part of the Preseason All-MW team, along with two teammates. Senior defensive end Carl Granderson and junior defensive tackle Youhanna Ghaifan were also named to the preseason all-conference squad. All three were First Team All-MW honorees following the 2017 season.

The league announced its Preseason All-MW team and the predicted order of finish from their annual MW Media Summit in Las Vegas Tuesday. Select media members from across the conference voted on the all-conference team, special honors and the preseason poll.

Seventeen of the 25 MW student-athletes were All-MW honorees last year. The preseason team is comprised of 11 seniors, six juniors, and eight sophomores. Boise State has the most preseason honorees with eight. UW tied with Nevada and San Diego State for second-most with three selections.

In the preseason poll, the Cowboys are picked to finish second in the Mountain Division. That is the highest Wyoming has been chosen since the MW went to their two-division format in 2013. The Pokes received 95 points in the balloting of media members.

Boise State and Fresno State were selected to win the Mountain and West Divisions, respectively. The Broncos were a unanimous choice with all 22 first-place votes. The Bulldogs garnered 16 of the 22 first-place tallies for the top spot in the West Division.

Behind Boise State and UW are CSU, Utah State, Air Force and New Mexico. In the West behind the Bulldogs is San Diego State (other 6 first-place votes), UNLV, Nevada, Hawai’I and San Jose State.

Wyoming football reports for Fall Camp Thursday, July 26. The first practice is Friday morning, July 27. The 2018 season debut is at New Mexico State Aug. 25 at 6 p.m.